ARMENIA NEAR TO REFUSE CONDITION OF TURKEY’S RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE"

Trend News Agency
Nov 27 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 November /corr. Trend News E.Tariverdiyeva / The
improvement in the diplomatic relations between Ankara and Yerevan
can bring unexpected results. It seems Armenia is prepared to soon
refuse the condition of Turkey’s recognition of Armenian "genocide"
in order to save its brittle economy. "The relations between Armenia
and Turkey will inevitably improve also without Turkey’s recognition
of the Armenian "genocide", because the 1915 genocide is descriptive,
but the hunger, which can be in Armenia, is completely real," said
the Russian expert on Caucasus, Vladimir Zharikhin.

After 15 years absence of diplomatic relations, closed borders and
mutual claims, Turkey and Armenia decided to re-establish diplomatic
relations. "We support the beginning of a new process in the relations
with Armenia, and directed a message to the new government of this
country, in which we noted that we are open for the dialogue with
them," Ali Babajan, Foreign Minister of Turkey, said on Monday,
СNN-Turk reported.

For many years, official Yerevan and numerous Armenian diasporas
have been attaining world countries and parliaments’ adoption of the
resolutions, which confirm "genocide" of the Armenians and which
call present Turkey to recognize the destruction of 1.5mln ethnic
Armenians. Turkey refutes these accusations, and since 1993, has
broken up diplomatic relations and blocked the borders with Armenia,
which were important transport artery for Yerevan.

During the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian to
Turkey, which took place yesterday, he highlighted the preparedness
of his country for the normalization of relations with Turkey without
the preliminary conditions. "Genocide is a black page of our general
history, and we must together overturn it and build up our stable
future," said Nalbandian in an interview with Mediamaks agency.

Moreover, now even it became possible to research the "genocide" of
Armenians by a friendly commission, created by Armenia and Turkey,
about which official Yerevan did not want to hear formerly, the
Foreign Minister of Armenia said, Turkish Zaman newspaper reported.

In 2006 the Prime Minister of Turkey, Rajab Tayyip Erdogan, directed
a proposal to the President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, regarding
establishment of the joint commission of historians for studying
the "genocide" of Armenians. However, the Armenian side refused
this proposal, and stated that does not put the fact "genocide" of
Armenians under doubt.The observers say that this friendly behavior
of official Yerevan is explained simply: Armenia is located in such
a geopolitical situation, with which simply it will not survive if
it does not establish relations with Turkey.

If Armenia does not restore transport connections with Turkey,
then Yerevan, which has lame transport connections, will not have
other possibilities any longer, said the Russian expert Zhirikhin
. "Therefore, retreat from its principles is observed, while it deals
with the negotiations without preliminary conditions," Deputy Director
of Institute of CIS Countries, Zhirikhin, told TrendNews.

Turkish political scientist Altan Tan considers that Turkey and Armenia
are equally interested in the development of bilateral relations,
and the creation of the Commission for studying the fact of genocide
will finally make it possible to establish truth and to understand,
how many people died in this war – both the Armenians and the Moslems.

"The creation of this commission will temporarily freeze the question
of "genocide", at least for a period until the Turkish- Armenian
relations are at a proper level," Tan told TrendNews by telephone
from Istanbul.

However, Armenian establishment does not share the opinion that the
commission can master the problems of "genocide".

"Making a proposal to establish joint commission of historians for
studying genocide of Armenians, Turkey knew that Armenia will refuse
this proposal, since it does not subject the fact to doubt. Thus,
Ankara wanted to prove to the international community that Yerevan
rejects the study of this problem," director of the museum-institute
of "genocide" of Armenians, Ayk Demoyan, said to press conference in
Yerevan today, News Armenia reported.

According to him, this step of the Turkish side is "information
call" to Armenia. "If Turkey indeed wanted to study this question,
then demonstrating good will, it would ensure participation of
the independent historians in the commission, who would not incur
pursuit and with respect to whom criminal cases would not be
filed in compliance with the article 301 of the Criminal Code of
Turkey, and would also ensure participation of the third side in the
commission. But it is understandable that all this do not correspond
to the interests of Ankara," said Demoyan.

The opening of borders and establishment of direct diplomatic relations
with Turkey, overcoming almost century-long myth about so-called
"genocide" of Armenians become the priority, almost obtrusive idea
of official Yerevan, said the President of the Azerbaijan Social
Developments Fund, political scientist Rashad Rzakuliyev. He said
that this is connected with the prospect for the complete isolation
of Armenia in view of the changing world political situation after
five-day war in Georgia.

R.Hafizoglu ( Baku), R.Agayev ( Moscow) contributed to preparation
of the material.

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